Metal vehicle-wheel.



H. R. WOODROW.

METAL VEHICLE WHEEL.

'APPLICATION FILED ocT. I9, IsII.

1,269,992. Patented June 18, 1915;

n vY/MW. wood/1M omer UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY B.. WOODBOW, 0F m YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB TO THOMAS E. MURRAY, 01|.r

NEW YORK, N. Y.

METAL 'VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Bpecilcation of Letters Patent. Patented June 18., 1918.

Application Med October 19, 1917. Serial No. 197,382.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY R. WooDRoW, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Metal Vehicle-Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

The invention is a metal vehicle wheel, in which spokes are provided with frustowedge shaped enlargementsV at their inner ends, which enlargements are juxtaposed and welded together to form the wheel nave, and wherein annular ange plates are welded to the opposite faces of said nave; and also a method of making said wheel, whereby the said flange plates are electrically welded to the nave, and the spokes electrically welded together at their juxtaposed faces, by a single operation.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a portion of the nave and spokes of my wheel shown in perspective. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the wheel rim omitted) placed horizontally between the electrodes, also shown in section, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3, 3 of Fig. 1.

Similar kletters of reference indicate like parts.

The wheel comprises a plurality of preferably tubular metal spokes A, having frustowedge shaped enlargements B at their inner ends, which enlargements are placed in juxtaposition to form the wheel nave. C `and I) are annular flange plates which are to be electrically Welded on opposite faces of said nave. t On the inner face of each plate C, D are elongated projections E, preferably ormed by making struck up indentations disposed radially on said plate, and so placed as to come directly over the radial joints between the spoke enlargements B. I may provide a plurality of projections, due to such indentations, over each joint. For example, the indentations F, F, as shown in Fig. l, are placed to lie directly over the joint at G, while the indentations H, H are similarly placed with respect to the joint at I.

The wheel is assembled and welded in the Y said ilange plates.

following manner -J is an annular electrode resting on a bed K ofinsulating material. In, the upper surface of said electrode is a recess which receives the flange plate D. '.Ihe nave formed byl the juxtaposed spokes 1s placed upon flange" plate D, and above said nave is placed the flange plate C. The upper electrode L' has an annular groove whichlreceives the plate C, and a central downwardly projecting portion M which enters the opening in the nave.

Welding current being -established between the electrodes, the upper electrode L, by any suitable means, is forced downwardly, thus causing the flange plates C, D to become welded against the opposite faces of the nave, and at the same time obliterating the projections E on the inner side of The melted metal from said projections E is, by the pressure, forced into the joints between the juxtaposed faces of the wedge-shaped enlargements B of said spokes, and serves on cooling to bind the juxtaposed spoke faces together. In this way, by simply compressing the-assembled parts between 'the electrodes, and establishing the heating current, as described, I am enabled to unite the spokes at their juxtaposed faces, and simultaneously to unite the fiange plates to the nave faces; thus accomplishing th e desired end in a single operation, and effecting an exceedingly strong union of the parts.

I claim:

l. The method of electrically welding together the spokes and flange plates of a metal Vehicle wheel, which consists, first, in juxtaposing the inner frusto-wedge shaped ends of the spokes to form a nave, second, placing against each face of said nave an annular fiange plate having radially disposed elongated projections on its inner side, to cause said projections to lie over the joints of said nave, and third, placing said nave and ange plates between electrodes and subjecting said nave and plates to pressure and a welding current, whereby simultaneously the said flangesl are welded to said nave faces, and the juxtaposed faces of said spokes are welded tOgether by fused metal mooooe from soil Hooge plete projections entering zlue from said Hooge plates en enterbetweem seid. spoke-faces. mlle jointe of said nave. l0 2. A metal vehicle Wheel, oom rising "mi testimony whereof I have oxed my spokes having rusto-wedge shape immer signature in presence of two Witnesses.

5 ends plecei in juxtaposition to form o move, HARRY R. WUODROW.

ond. Hooge plates flsposeol on opposite side@ Witnesses: of Soiol nave amel electrically Welded theleto; GERTRUDE T. Poem,

lie said spokes being united by metal ,ex- Jr 'l`. MCGARRI. 

